


canis filius

by asexuelf



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Cults, Established Relationship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sal and Larry are bros, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22352074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asexuelf/pseuds/asexuelf
Summary: After Larry's suicide attempt puts him in the hospital, Travis becomes quickly aware of the involvement of his father's cult. Travis has to stop the Devourers of God from taking Nockfell for good - all while keeping Sal from destroying himself.They already might lose Larry; he can't lose Sal too.
Relationships: Sal Fisher/Travis Phelps
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	canis filius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: don't do a chapter fic when you have other longfics to work on  
> the me that wears clown shoes: :o)
> 
> andjakd ok ive been working on this one legit for over a month and i want it OUT OF MY FACE, so here's chapter one of a fic i've been playing around with writing. i've got other things i need to work on but hopefully this will be a project i can stick to!
> 
> i hope you enjoy 💖

When he gets the news, he almost can't believe it.

"But- why?"

"I don't know…" 

It's Ash on the other end of the phone, her voice so clear he thinks (hopes) she's punking him. Then again, he's never seen her cry, not when she watches movies where the dog dies or when ghosts melt out of the floors or even that time she broke her arm playing basketball. It's simply her way to shut down when her feelings get big, he thinks. 

In some ways, he can relate. If he could turn off all his feelings right now, stop his heart from feeling cold and his stomach from churning, he would.

"I'm just glad he's alive."

"Shit, me too." Travis runs a hand over his face. Maybe Larry wouldn't exactly be his one phone call if this ghost bullshit ever gets him thrown away, but he loves the guy. His eyes sting. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad, I think." 

Travis curses, standing abruptly from his spot at the kitchen table. He runs a hand through his hair, his knuckles tangling in the morning knots. 

"Todd was- Todd was crying too hard to hear, but I think Larry was drinking booze and took a bunch of pills. He left a note, so it wasn't an accident..."

"Jesus Christ."

"I'll try to find out more for you, but it'll be hard. I'm trying to help Neil right now. Todd's a complete wreck…"

A humorless huff leaves him. "He always seems like the most apathetic of all of us, doesn't he? But in reality, he's the one always affected the most… It's why he works so hard."

"I know." Her voice is gentler now. The audio crinkles through the phone, but he can still hear her sigh. "All this makes me wish I'd come home sooner. Maybe I could have talked to Larry…"

"Don't think like that. If there's one lesson my shitty life has taught me, it's that it's not your fault. When things like this happen, you can't point the finger at yourself or it will fuck you up forever."

"Wow."

"It's not your fault. Say it!"

"Haha, you're just as bossy as in highschool… It's not my fault."

"Good girl. Now how are you holding up? I know you and Larry go way back."

"Yeah, we met when we were kids. I'll be honest, Trav, I'm kind of messed up about it. Really messed up." There's a brief pause and he imagines her closing her eyes and breathing. "I'm trying to be strong until I know more, though. I haven't been able to get ahold of Sal since last night."

"Shit! Sally-" Travis runs towards the corner table by the T.V. where his number book is. He flips through to the F tab with one hand, narrowly avoiding a nasty papercut. "I'll call Henry. I know it's a lot to ask, but take care of _yourself_ as well as Todd, okay? I'll call back when I have more information for both of us."

"Thank you, Travis."

"Yeah, yeah…" He scowls, feeling his face heat. "Just do as I tell you!"

She laughs quietly and, despite everything, the sound lightens his heart just a little. Just because life is shit doesn't mean it's over. "Okay, Travis. You take care of yourself too. Send me anything you can get on Sal."

Her voice trails off into finality the way it always does when someone's about to hang up the phone and he panics, forcing out, "Hey- uh. Since we're here and- considering what happened. Just know that- I love you. And it makes me really happy that you're home."

"Aw, Travis… I love you too. Even with what's happened, I'm still really looking forward to seeing you."

"I'll hold you to that, Campbell."

"I hope you do."

Then she hangs up. Travis doesn't waste time, already dialing Henry Fisher's phone number even as he sighs and mulls over Ashley's parting words. Should he have held Larry to their plans more too? Larry cancelled their plans pretty often, claiming he 'wasn't feeling right'. If he had been around more, would Larry have been-?

No! He's not going down that road. Especially not when he just got after Ash for the same thing.

Chillingly, the phone goes to voicemail. Travis rationalizes that Henry is busy, his stepson is in the hospital, maybe this has nothing to do with Sal at all- and redials. This time, Henry picks up on the fourth ring.

"Sorry, it's a bad time-"

"Mr. Fisher! I know it's a bad time, Ash told me about Larry. Have you seen Sal?"

"Sal? Yes, he's here at the hospital with me. They haven't been able to get him away from Larry since they finished pumping his stomach."

Every muscle in his body relaxes so suddenly that Travis feels like he's made of rubber. "How's Larry's condition?"

"Well, um. It's not looking good. He's still not waking. And, honestly, Sal's not doing very well either. You may want to get up here, Travis."

"Definitely. I love them both." It feels weird admitting that to Henry, but it's not like it's some big secret. "Will I be allowed in the room?"

"I'll make them let you in. You're family, son."

Even though he's been saying it for years now, Travis still has to bite his lip and blink tears away. "Thank you, Henry."

"Of course." Muffled sounds sneak through the phone speaker, something like a voice and what Travis thinks is something falling. "Oh, crap- I have to go. Nockfell County Hospital, Room 113. Call me again if you can't get in."

"Will do. Bye, Henry."

The phone goes dead again halfway through his goodbye. Some part of Travis flinches at being left alone.

He shoots Ash a quick text detailing Sal's condition and confirming Larry's. He sends her the room number too, just in case, and lets her know he'll be there if she needs him.

Her reply is a brief, cursory _'thank you'_ that he receives just as he's leaving the door. Thin jacket on and keys in his hand, he feels unprepared for what lies ahead. He doesn't know if it's possible to prepare for something like this, but he wishes, distantly, that he did. Maybe that would make swallowing the lump in his throat easier.

-

The hospital seems to be in havok. Everyone is rushing this way or that, some with stretchers or gurneys and others with supplies. There are sounds echoing off every wall.

Travis has never been to the hospital, but he doesn't think it's meant to be like this.

Hell, the waiting room is nearly full. That can't bode well.

Before he braves the desk - and only a person of great courage could, since the woman behind the desk looks like she could bench 180 and is stressed enough to throw the nearest person to prove it - he wanders into the waiting room out of morbid curiosity. It's frightening to think who else he knows could be here.

He sees Maple sitting on a chair, staring morosely at the floor.

"Maple!" A few people look up before looking away, but Maple's eyes stay on him. He jogs over to her. "Did you hear about Larry too?"

Now she sits up straight, her face growing even more worried. Apparently she hadn't. "No, I didn't. I came home from my parents' this morning and had to rush Chug and Soda here. They were completely out of it."

"Jesus." He perches on the edge of the seat next to hers. "Do you know why?"

"I think it has to do with this rash they had…? Apparently a lot of people in Addison were getting it, cuz Robert's partner is over there, and CJ's parents came through, too. The hospital staff are totally swamped."

"I can see that." Two nurses run past, before one gets a beep on her pager and has to toss her clipboard to the other, the two running in opposite directions. "It's unreal."

"Kind of scary… Is that why Larry is here? He and Sal came to visit us yesterday afternoon; I hope they didn't catch it."

"No, um… Larry is here because he- Well, I don't have the full story, but I think everything came to a head for him sometime last night, and he couldn't handle it anymore."

Maple's eyes grow wide. "What- Travis, what are you saying?"

"Last night, Larry tried to kill himself. Pills, I think. Ash is taking care of Todd with Neil today and I'm here to check on Sal." He winces. "And Larry! I love Larry."

She places a soft hand over his. "I know, Travis. You don't have to worry about sounding a certain way. Everything is crazy right now."

"Thank you, Maple. Do you have any information of Chug and Soda? Will they be okay?"

"I haven't heard anything yet. I'm not too worried, though… I mean, the doctors know what they're doing, right?"

Careful of her ring, he pats her hand, then squeezes it. "Yeah, they do. Want me to get you something from the vending machine while I'm down here?"

"I'm okay. I don't have much appetite right now." She leans her forehead against his shoulder and sighs. "Thanks for checking on me."

"Always, May. It's you and me, right?"

She smiles. Five years and it's still the same shy smile. "Yeah, it is."

Although a part of him wants to stay with Maple (and likely will), he stands up carefully. "I should go check on the guys now. Their parents, too. Henry didn't sound so good over the phone."

"Send them my love?"

"Of course. Call me if you need anything."

"I will. You too, Travis."

-

Getting to the room ends up proving difficult.

"Hi, can you tell me which hall Room 113 would be down?"

The woman behind the desk stares at him like she's secretly pondering tearing off his head. "Who's asking?"

He flinches at her fake-pleasant tone. "Um. Larry Johnson is in the room. He's like my brother."

"But he isn't your brother?"

"He is my brother."

"By blood?"

"I… don't think blood decides who's family and who isn't."

"I'm sorry, we can only allow blood relatives to visit at this time."

"Please, ma'am, the family already gave me permission to visit. And two of those with him aren't blood relatives to him, either." He leans over the counter, puts his palms flat against the cool surface and meets her eyes. "Please."

Suddenly her hand is vice-like around his wrist. He jolts, but her grip is too tight to pull out of. "I think you should leave, sir."

"Excuse me? I'll bring the fucking roof down on your head for touching me-"

"I'm trying to help you, ingrate!" She snaps. Her fingers are so tight around his wrist, he can feel her nails digging into his skin. His pulse beats against her hard thumb. "The sooner you get out of here, the better it will be for you. The infected, the Child… It's all coming to an end soon, prince."

"What- the fuck?" He tries to pull his arm away again, harder this time, but she doesn't budge. "What the fuck?"

"You need to _leave._ "

"I can't! The people I love are here!"

Her hand lets go of him, finally, uncurling like a spider. "You'll regret it if you stay here. If you go home and stand beside your father, you'll know peace."

"My father?" Travis takes three steps back. "Are you with the-"

"Travis!" 

Lisa's arms are around him then and he swings his head back to see her. "Mrs. Johnson-Fisher!"

"Oh, Travis, it's terrible. My poor baby boy…" 

Travis turns back to the cult member behind the desk and sees her on the phone, answering nonsense questions about the hospital. She's just a normal secretary again. Travis didn't dream that… Did he?

"I'm so sorry for what's happened, Lisa." Seeing tears in her eyes makes them prickle up in his own. "Let's get back upstairs to keep an eye on our Larry, huh?"

"Oh, definitely. When he wakes up, he'll be so glad to see you. He'll need to know he's loved…" Her hand catches a sob before it can leave her mouth. "And Sal… I'll be honest with ya, Travis, he's not doing so well."

He rubs a gentle hand up and down her back, averting his eyes. "So I hear…"

"Oh, between the stress of school and his nightmares and Larry's- and the _shock_. It's all just fighting inside him right now. Having you there will be good for him, too."

"If there's anything I can do for _you_ , Mrs. Johnson-Fisher, never be afraid to ask. I'm here for you guys."

"Oh, Travis!" She squeezes him again. "You're helping me just by being here. We could use another hand on deck and you're just the man for it. Now, come on, I'll take you to the room, rules be damned."

As Lisa takes his hand and pulls him away, Travis turns back to the woman at the desk and finds her glaring daggers into him.

 _I warned you_ , she mouths. Then he passes the corner and she's out of sight.

"The woman at the desk was- not very nice." He isn't sure what else he can say to her about the cult, so he keeps it vague. 

"I'm sure she's just stressed. I'll admit, there have been times I wanted to take my broom and snap it over someone's head!"

Travis laughs at that, but it seems to just rattle through his lungs. He can't stop thinking about the woman. He'll have to have Ash come get Maple. If this has anything to do with the cult, they need to do something about it.

A startling thought crosses his mind and he swallows hard around the scream that threatens to burst out. If this has something to do with the cult, is it possible that Larry didn't… The hope that thinking it inspires in him feels terrible, but is it possible that this was an attempt at murder and not Larry's choice at all?

Obviously, for all the people in their group that would commit suicide, Travis is the highest, isn't he? He's always got this fog of misery over him, like there's a darkness just behind his eyes that he's never been able to see through. And _he_ hasn't tried anything, so why would Larry?

It's easier to think of it that way. It's easier to think that Larry - wonderful, amazing Larry - would never do this. Would never feel a pain like the one he feels all the time.

Travis tightens his hand around Lisa's. She squeezes back. 

-

He isn't sure what he expected from the hospital room, but it seems pretty normal: a little too sterile for the dirt on the floor, a little too dark for the curtains pulled away from the windows, and, well, really fucking sad. That feeling of anxiety that comes with sickness and injury seems to stick to every corner of the room, surging inward to poke at the good people inside it.

Henry is standing by the window, rubbing a hand over his face as he stares unseeingly at the overcast sky outside. Sal is beside Larry, his head pillowed on the other's chest. And Larry is, of course, laying in the hospital bed. His vitals promise that he's there, that he's alive, but he looks so cold and crumpled lying there that it makes Travis sick to his stomach.

Lisa drops a kiss to his cheek before walking over to Sal. She squats down, mouth at his ear for a moment before standing again and walking to the window to converse quietly with Henry.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he follows her lead and goes to soothe his man too.

Sal doesn't look so good. His hair is a mess, knotted and oily from a couple of days worth of not washing it. It's down, as it so rarely is, and Travis can see that it's somehow knotted itself in one of the straps of his prosthetic. He's really not supposed to wear that thing for more than twelve hours, but he likely hasn't removed it since putting it on yesterday morning.

"Hey, angel."

It doesn't seem to capture his attention. Normally, even if he's feeling bad, Sal will try to shoot back a, _"Hey, morning star_. _"_ Not today, it seems. 

If Travis didn't know the subtle nuances of his sleeping form, Travis might have assumed his angel is napping over Larry's own unconscious body. Travis can tell he's awake. He doubts his man could ever sleep in a hospital at all. If the steady _beep - beep - beep_ of Larry's vitals didn't keep him awake, the childhood trauma sure as hell would.

His silence aches in Travis' chest. It's like breathing in cold water.

Lisa walks towards him, her arm tight around the waist of a similarly unresponsive Henry. The grey light from the window shines behind her, making the dark lines under her eyes look even more severe.

He attempts to twist his mouth into a smile for her, but it comes out as more of a grimace.

She gives him her own. "I'm going to take my Henry out of the room for a bit. Maybe some fresh air will do him good."

Travis nods. "Of course. I'll keep an eye on the guys. Take care of yourself, Lisa."

Her smile is brittle, but honest, crinkling the edges of her eyes and brightening her sad face. Still smiling, she guides Henry through the door and is gone.

Travis can only hope they'll be safe out of his sight. He's about to send a quick text to Ash detailing the situation, until he sees Sal move.

It's barely enough to be called movement, but movement it is; Sal shifts his weight, turning his head as if to look for Travis. Travis puts himself in Sal's line of sight quickly, attempting to meet his eyes.

"Angel?" he whispers. "Hey, talk to me."

"It hurts."

Ignoring the bright flash of worry that sparks in his chest, Travis nods. "I know."

"You don't know." He turns away again. Travis puts a hand on his back, but Sal flinches away. "You don't know! They're saying he might not-"

Sal doesn't cry. He almost never cries. Right now, though, he sounds close.

"He might not wake up, Travis."

"Aren't you the one that told me there's always hope?"

"There's no hope without Larry."

"Sal, I'm breaking too, but it's not-"

"I love you," Sal whispers. "And I've had to learn to love life, too. But if Larry doesn't make it, you know I have to join him."

"Stop it."

"No. I've been working really fucking hard, Travis." His voice is thick and breaks Travis' heart. "But I can't fucking do this. I can't fucking do this again."

"Sally-"

"No! No! No!" He shoves his face into Larry's side. Travis tries very hard not to look at how pale and thin either of them are. "I can't go to a fucking hospital again, I can't fucking watch them put someone I love into the ground again-"

"So you're going to make me bury two people? You're going to make Henry bury three?"

"Fuck you."

"You can't do that if you're dead."

"Fuck you for real."

"I'm not losing you, Sally Face. I don't want to lose either of you."

"Get the fuck away from me." And then he begins to shake. Despite everything they've been through, Travis has never seen him truly cry. Tears, but only tears. No gut-searing _pain_ that shakes a body, rattles teeth and bones. "Get the fuck away from me!"

And then he's sobbing. It's so much different than the usual stillness that accompanies Sal's tears. It hurts so much more.

"Sal-"

Sal doesn't respond in words. Instead, a horrible sound erupts from his mouth. Half scream, half shout, but full sob. He holds onto Larry's thin waist like he's drowning and Larry is the only thing keeping him afloat while the rushing current pulls them into the dark waters below. His weeping only grows louder.

Travis understands. He's met his eyes in the mirror and discovered the man looking back to be broken, too. He's broken a thousand times over. But seeing those familiar glass shards tear through the man he loves is so much different than the well-tread pain that's numbed its way through him. Seeing Sal feel his pain is so much worse than feeling that pain himself.

"I don't think you can be alone right now, Sal."

The sobs that follow are breathy and quiet, pieces of a silent scream. "I'm not alone," he husks out desperately. "Larry's here. Larry's here."

"You're right." Against his better judgement, he kneels behind Sal, pressing his chest against his warm, familiar back. "And Larry will still be here. But- Sal, I think the Devourers of God are here. I think they did this, not Larry."

Sal turns in his arms. His eye looks feral through the dark hole of his mask, his pupil small and shivering. "You mean it?"

"I do. The woman at the desk…" He shivers, but shares the rest. 

As he does, Sal slowly grows more- not _stable_ , per se, but less shaky. He stops crying and grows determined, his usually gentle hands closing into tight fists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! feel free to lmk your thoughts! 👀


End file.
